SIAP- I cant remember a thread on this?

I thought it might be useful to have a thread with recommendations on great ways to keep fueled up for backcountry adventures. So, throw out your favorite meals, snacks, bars, etc. Recommend your favorite companies or brands- or let us know ones you have tried that aren't any good. My hope is we can find a few brands or things that are a consensus to be good, and maybe have a few new ideas to try.

I'll start with the obvious- Mountain House meals are the best dehydrated meals I have tried- though I've only had a few brands. Most are gross (I'm looking at you, Backpackers Pantry), but the Mountain House's are generally pretty decent, some are down right good. The Beef Stroganoff is my favorite- followed by Chicken Teriyaki, Chicken & Rice, Rice Pilaf (with fresh grouse mixed in). Several guys I know like the Chili Mac- but that one gives me the bubble gut something fierce. I haven't found any of the breakfast egg things that are good. The Apple Crisp is awesome, big enough to split with a couple people for dessert. The ice cream sandwiches are surprisingly good.

I also recently tried Off Grid Predator Fuel (oatmeal). It was good (don't honestly know if it's THAT much better than regular oatmeal which is 1/4 the cost). They are a bit spendy, but I wouldn't mind trying a few other of their products.

I LOVE Belvita products, can't say enough about them. Their Orange Cranberry Breakfast Biscuits (more of a cracker) are really good, and amazingly filling for their size. I also like their soft breakfast bars like the Banana Bread. And the Dark Chocolate Sandwiches are great too.

I would love to find some great bars. I don't like the Cliff bars I have tried, and Natures Own can be way too dry. I do use the Quaker ones, but I'm SURE there is something better out there.

I usually have some Jack Links jerky with me too. Their Tender Bites are where it's at for me. I'm not a fan of really hard jerky that makes your jaw hurt.

Look here: https://www.packitgourmet.com/

I eat a macadamia nut and white chocolate clif bar for breakfast almost every day.

* Babybel cheese
* Jerky
* Ramen and tuna packs in olive oil
* Make your own energy-packed trail mix
* peanut butter and honey on gluten free bagels
* I also like the Honey Stinger products

I try to pack a min of 3,000 calories/day. Strive to only carry food that contains 100 - 125 calories per ounce.

Bird93 said:

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* Babybel cheese
* Jerky
* Ramen and tuna packs in olive oil
* Make your own energy-packed trail mix
* peanut butter and honey on gluten free bagels
* I also like the Honey Stinger products

I try to pack a min of 3,000 calories/day. Strive to only carry food that contains 100 - 125 calories per ounce.

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Good Info right here. Babybel's are so good on the trial too!
I'll have to check out Honey Stinger, thanks for the tip

Pierce County Ag said:

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Look here: https://www.packitgourmet.com/

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Is this legit? Looks like some tasty calories for the weight, but is it really? I've been duped before... I'll likely order a sample pack and try if it really is tasty.

Glad someone started this. I'm just now thinking about food plans for my Colorado mule deer hunt. I picked up some Peak Refuel meals for dinner, those get great reviews all around. I plan to use EVOO packets in each to boost the calorie count. Not sure yet for breakfast and lunch. Probably 2 protein bars a day, plus some honey stinger waffles and peanut butter. Need advice on other good snack items.

Tortillas, extra sharp cheddar and dehydrated refried beans like the ones found here: https://www.amazon.com/Santa-Fe-Bean-Southwestern-Gluten-Free/dp/B000FI701Y

Throw in some jerkey and dried fruit and you're good for several days.

^

Similar to The butthole sandwich.


Cinnamon flavored bagel
Peanut butter
Precooked bacon

How many calories should one shoot to be ingesting in a day

harge57 said:

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2 tortillas covered in peanut butter, add honey, add bacon. Put together like a quesadilla, Vacuum seal.

Mmmmmmm

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This sounds horribly delicious.

BCStalk said:

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harge57 said:

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2 tortillas covered in peanut butter, add honey, add bacon. Put together like a quesadilla, Vacuum seal.

Mmmmmmm

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This sounds horribly delicious.

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Really good. I do the exact same thing, but on bagels rather than tortillas.

Stat Monitor Repairman said:

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This. Not bad at all. I don't eat much when hiking hard at altitude but this is one I could stomach.

Also like Fritos for a good snack.

harge57 said:

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2 tortillas covered in peanut butter, add honey, add bacon. Put together like a quesadilla, Vacuum seal.

Mmmmmmm

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Came here to post this.

+ Probars, Mountain House, and favorite candy.

Larabars
Babybel cheese
Shelf stable sausages/salamis
A 375 of cheap whiskey for the campfire

mpl35 said:

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I don't eat much when hiking hard at altitude but this is one I could stomach.

Also like Fritos for a good snack.

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I also loose my appetite at altitude which is no bueno. I can pretty much always get down some shotbloks or a gel of some sort so those have become my go to snacks up high. Being able to get them with caffeine is also a bonus.

I can vouch for Packit Gourmet. Their meals are fantastic and my favorite of all the dehydrated trail meals. They're located in Austin.

Idahoan instant loaded mashed potatoes in the pouch. Just add hot water. Excellent and they're cheap.

Yes. Next best thing to spending $2000 on a home unit and freeze drying yourself...

As for not being hungry at altitude, I have a cookbook that I like called "Jerky Everything". I haven't tried them all, but the "Sorta Pemmican" made with cranberries and blueberries never goes to waste.

I'm actually pretty boring. I don't get bored with food very easily, so eating the same thing for several days doesn't bother me. Tortillas, peanut butter, raisins, and jerky I am happy.

If I am hiking above 8k, it is a fargone conclusion I am losing weight regardless of how much I eat.

I wouldn't put it in the "tasty snacks" category, but if I'm ill or just need to get something down, I usually pack a couple of servings of Mediclear SGS.

Jerky, nuts, pork rinds

Anyone have a preferred protein/ meal replacement bar? I'm looking to bring 2 per day to eat at breakfast and lunch supplemented with other high calorie snacks.

Stat Monitor Repairman said:

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What kind of yankee **** is this.

mneisch said:

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Anyone have a preferred protein/ meal replacement bar? I'm looking to bring 2 per day to eat at breakfast and lunch supplemented with other high calorie snacks.

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The Belvita biscuits or soft bakes are awesome for breakfast. I really like the orange cranberry crunchy or the soft banana bread. The protein berry almond is great too. Amazing how much they fill me up for such a small deal.

RXBARs are pretty good and you can get them at Costco in bulk.

https://www.rxbar.com/

Honey stinger waffle with a Justin's almond butter packet on top. ~400 calories in a quick easy meal.

Extra sharp cheddar cheese
Summer sausage/salami
Instant mashed potatoes
Velveeta shells n cheese or deluxe Kraft mac and cheese
Canned smoked herring/sardines/salmon
Premade bumble bee cans of tuna salad
Dried fruit - pineapple and mango are like candy
Banana chips are super cheap and calorie dense
Also raisins and dried figs

Lots of tortillas.
Ritz crackers kept in a portion of the box to protect them.
Jif PB cups and little packets of jelly picked up from a breakfast restaurant.
Small bottle or packets of olive oil.
Tony cacheries (sp?) packet
Knorr pasta and rice sides.
Candy of all sorts.
Marshmallows.

A lot of people have mentioned the instant mashed potatoes. If you shave a big chunk of the sharp cheddar cheese into a pot of instant taters with cut up salami or summer sausage it makes it ten times better. A pot of that after a long hard backpacking day is one of my favorites meals.

If you're going on the cheap, Knorr rice and pasta is awesome. $1 per package usually. I especially like the Spanish rice one with cut up slim Jim or salami. The Asian ones go well with a single serving package of spam fried up. Don't use as much water as they suggest on the Knorr package or you'll waste fuel boiling it out.

I used to use instant coffee and surprisingly grew a fondness for it. Now I have a little filter that weighs practically nothing and was $10 so now I usually use real coffee now.

Add olive oil to everything on a through hike to increase calories. Also makes fresh caught fish taste way better when cooked in it.

Breakfast skillet by mountain House is awesome and has plenty of food for two people when made in to breakfast tacos.

Make sure to get really sharp cheddar. It will last a week or more on the trail. I usually get Tillamook extra sharp